Control system for automotive vehicle headlamps and other vehicle equipment

In a control system for controlling the energization of a first headlamp on a first automotive vehicle, said first headlamp being electrically energizable and having a high beam state and a low beam state, said control system including means for collecting light emanating from a second vehicle and means for collecting ambient light, said control system also including sensing means effective to selectively sense the intensity of both the collected light emanating from said second vehicle and the collected ambient light, said control system including means controlling the state of the beams of said first headlamp as a function of the sensed intensity of the beam of light emanating from said second vehicle, and means controlling the electrical energization of said first headlamp as a function of the sensed ambient light, said control system including means for filtering and reflecting light with only one exposed optical surface.

In a control system for controlling the energization of a first headlamp on a first automotive vehicle, said first headlamp being electrically energizable and having a high beam state and a low beam state, said control system including means for collecting light emanating from a second vehicle and means for collecting ambient light, said control system also including sensing means effective to selectively sense the intensity of both the collected light emanating from said second vehicle and the collected ambient light, said control system including means controlling the state of the beams of said first headlamp as a function of the sensed intensity of the beam of light emanating from said second vehicle, and means controlling the electrical energization of said first headlamp as a function of the sensed ambient light, said sensing means including a bidirectional motor having a rotor, said rotor being adapted to move in both a rotary direction and a translational direction.

In a control system for controlling the energization and the state of automotive vehicle equipment on a first automotive vehicle, said equipment including electrically energizable headlamps each having a high beam state and a low beam state, said control system including control means operable to control the state of the beams of said headlamps, said control means including sensing means having a field of view and effective to sense the intensity of a beam of light emanating from a second vehicle, said control system including means incrementally scanning the field of view of said sensing means, and means in said control system operable to change the state of the beam of each headlamp as a function of the sensed intensity of the beam of light emanating from said second vehicle.